Refrigeration



Dec. 23, 1941. c. H. NAUERT REFRIGERATION Filed Dec. l5, -1939 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 REFRIGERATION Carl H. Nauert, Evansville, Ind., assignor to ServeL'Inc., New York, N. Y., acorporation of y Delaware Application December 13, 1939, serial No. 398,911

5 claims. (o1. 22o-15) My invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to refrigerator cabinet structure.

It is an object of thel invention to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet structure which is inexpensive to fabricate and in which the assembly of the parts is facilitated.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following-description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and of which:

Fig. l -is a front elevationof a refrigerator cabinet embodying the invention, with the door thereof open;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on lines 2-2 of Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken Qn line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating one manner in which the zig-zag connecting strips in Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive may be stamped from sheet metal stock.

Referring to Fig. l, I have shown a refrigerator comprising a cabinet I having a. storage compartment II to which access may be had through a door I2 which is hinged to the front of the cabinet. The door I2 includes spaced apart wall members I3 and I4 between which is interposed suitable insulation, as well known in the art. A gasket I is provided on the door I2 to form an air-tight seal when the door is closed and the gasket I5 contacts the front marginal portions I6 of the refrigerator cabinet I0.

Therefrigerator cabinet I0 includes an inner shell I1 which forms the storage compartment Il and within which is arranged a cooling element I8 of suitable refrigeration apparatus. An outer shell I9 is in spaced relation with the inner shell I1 and the space therebetween is lled with suitable insulation 20. The front marginal por. tions I6 form a part of the outer shell I9 and are provided with a flange 2l which extends toward a flange 22 formed about the forward edges of the inner shell I1.

The inner shell I1 is arranged to be supported within outer shell I9 by zig-zag metallic strips 23, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The metal strips 23 at their bends are secured by screws 24 to the flanges 2l and 22 of the outer and inner shells I9 and I1, respectively. A breaker strip 25 spans the gap between the widely spaced apart anges 2I and 22 and overlies the latter.

The breaker strip 25 is formed of a material having poor thermal conductivity, such as, for

example, hard rubber. The underside of the breaker strip 25 is provided with grooves 26 at opposite edge portions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The openings of the grooves 26 are in faceto-face relation and these grooves extend along the entire length of the breaker strips 25.

The grooves 26 receive the longitudinal edges of a backing member 21. The backing member may be formed of light sheet metal stock and at spaced intervals is provided with openings to receive fasteners 28. The fasteners 28 include an enlarged head portion 29 which is securely held in place between the backing member 21 and the underside of the breaker strip 25. To the head portions 29 are secured split resilient sleeve portions 30 which extend through the openings in backing member 21, and the outer end of each sleeve portion is provided with an enlarged rounded tip 3|. The breaker strip assembly is rigidly held in place by the frictional engagement of the fasteners 28 in the openings 34 of the zigzag strips 23.

The refrigerator cabinet structure embodying the invention possesses many advantages whereby the assembly of the cabinet is facilitated. The zig-zag strips 23, for example, may be stamped from sheet metal stock 32, as shown in 5, so that the metal sheeting is efciently used to form the strips 23. When the zig-zag strips 23 are stamped in a suitable press, the openings 33 and 34 may be formed in the same stamping operation. The openings 33 are at the bends of the strips and receive ,the screws 24 for securing the strips to the flanges 2| and 22, respectively. 'I'he openings 34 are formed at regions intermediate the openings 33 and receive the fasteners 28.

The breaker strips 25 may be formed by extrusion, that is, by extruding material of poor thermal conductivity through a suitable die. This material may be hard rubber, as pointed out above, or a resinous product which is capable of being extruded. While the breaker strips 25 may be formed so that they are flexible and resilient in character, a thermal breaker stri-p is preferred which is stiff and rigid and possesses a. hard finished surface which is easily cleaned and neat in appearance.

'I'he backing member 21 is formed from suitable sheet metal stock. The breaker strip assembly is made by inserting the fasteners 28 through the openings in the backing member 21l and then sliding the backing member in the grooves 26 of the breaker strip 25. After this is done the fasteners 28 are securely held to the breaker strip assembly with the head portions 29 wedged or locked between the backing member 21 and breaker strip 25.

In fabricating the cabinet I0, the inner shell I1 is inserted within the outer shell I9 with the insulation 20 therebetween. The zig-zag strips 23 are then fastened by the screws 24 tothe flanges 2| and 22, respectively, of the outer and inner shells. If desired, the zig-zag strips 23 may be secured to the flanges 2| and 22 in any other suitable manner, as by snap or push fasteners or tubular or plain rivets. The zig-zag strips 23 provide a rigid supporting connection of the inner shell l1 to the outer shell I9. The breaker strip assembly is then placed in position by aligning the fasteners 28 and openings 34 in the strips 23 and forcing the rounded tips 3| through the openings. The split resilient sleeve portions 30 expand after thetips 3| have passed through the openings whereby the breaker strip assembly is rigidly held in position.

The flanges 2| and 22 of the outer and inner shells I9 and I1 are formed with U-shaped portions 35 at the regions where the screws 2l secure the zig-zag strips 23 to the flanges. The breaker strips 28 overlie these Ul-shaped portions and bear against the anges at regions removed from the extreme edge portions.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, such variations and modifications are contemplated which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Refrigerator cabinet structure including an inner wall member and an outer wall member, a flange on each member extending toward the other member and providing a relatively wide space between said flanges, a series of interconnected strip means extending diagonally across said space and overlapping and secured to said flanges to maintain said wall members in spaced relation. a breaker strip spanning said space, and means for separably fastening said breaker strip to said strip means, intermediate said flanges.

2. Refrigerator cabinet structure including an inner wall member and an outer wall member. a flange on each member extending toward the other member and providing a relatively wide` space between said flanges, a longitudinal series of interconnected strip means extending diagonally across said space and secured to and overlapping said flanges to maintain said wall members in spaced relation, said strip means being provided with a series of openings intermediate said flanges, a breaker strip spanning said space, a backing member secured only to the underside of said breaker strip, and resilient fastener means secured to said backing member and adapted to be separably engaged with said openings to hold said breaker strip in place.

3. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein said breaker strip is provided with grooves to receive the longitudinal edges of said backing member.,

4. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein the base portion of said fastener means is locked in position between the underside of said breaker strip and said backing member.

5. Refrigerator cabinet structure including aninner wall member and an outer wall member, a flange on each member extending toward the other member and providing a relatively wide space between said flanges, means comprising a longitudinal zig-zag strip having alternate bends respectively secured in overlapping relation to the adjacent of said flanges to maintain said wall members in spaced relation, a breaker strip spanning said space, and means for separably fastening said breaker strip to said longitudinal strip intermediate said flanges.

CARL H. NAUERT. 

